How to recognize poisonous mushrooms

It's not always easy to distinguish poisonous mushrooms from edible ones, especially since there are approximately 50 known mushroom species in Europe, and sometimes poisonous and edible ones look alike. However, there are some factors that help distinguish a poisonous mushroom: the color, the presence of a “veil” or a lamella, the smell. 

Poisonous mushrooms sometimes deceive us precisely because of their eye-catching color. Many poisonous mushrooms are brightly colored (red, yellow, green) and often appear more vivid or strange than edible ones. Edible mushrooms generally have paler colors. Furthermore

Poisonous mushrooms often have different colored spores, for example, white, yellow or green.

Edible mushrooms, such as chanterelle, tend to have a more neutral or earthy odor. Some poisonous mushrooms, such asAmanita muscaria (the traditional mushroom with the red cap and white dots), have a smell that can be sweet or similar to ammonia.

Many poisonous mushrooms, such as the Amanita phalloides (the “Cap of Death”), have a “veil” that covers the cap and the stem. This veil can be visible as a membrane that breaks as the mushroom grows. Another distinctive feature is the lamella (the gills under the cap), which can be white or yellow in poisonous varieties. mushrooms poisonous can present with a slimy or mucous cap, which can be easily distinguished from edible ones. The shape of the stem can also be a distinguishing feature: poisonous mushrooms, such as Amanita phalloides, have a much more robust and rigid stem than similar edible mushrooms.

While recognizing poisonous mushrooms isn't always easy, any problem, including the risk of poisoning, can be avoided by taking a few simple precautions.

• Prefer mushrooms with brown or light brown gills. Similarly, look for mushrooms without scales on the cap.
• Never eat mushrooms that you are not sure about or that you do not know about.
• Discard mushrooms that have a ring under the stem: many mushrooms with this characteristic are poisonous.
• Do you prefer mushrooms? with brown or light brown gills. And similarly, look for mushrooms without scales on the cap.
• Do not pick mushrooms with a red stem or cap: nature is warning you, with the color red, that this mushroom can be dangerous.
• Do not put in the same basket edible mushrooms and those you are unsure about, which are best discarded anyway, even before consulting an expert.
• Avoid picking mushrooms if they are still very small as it is more complicated to understand exactly which species we are dealing with.
• Don't trust popular beliefs. For example, it is absolutely false that a poisonous mushroom It can be recognized by the garlic (or onion) test, that is, if it blackens these condiments during cooking. And it is not at all true that all white mushrooms are edible, just as it is a false belief that mushrooms growing under chestnut trees are safe.
• If, despite everything, you believe you have eaten poisonous mushrooms, when any symptoms appear, Go to the nearest hospital immediately and bring a sample of the offending mushroom with you so that expert personnel can carry out analyses to determine the level of toxicity.

Most common poisonous mushrooms

• Spring AmanitaWhite in color, it is also called "the egg of death" because it wickedly resembles a type of mushroom that is very common and popular with consumers: ovules, precisely. The stem is white, the base bulbous and the cap smooth: it can be deadly.
• Amanita muscaria. It's so called because it contains muscarine, a substance capable of damaging the human nervous system with unpredictable consequences. Its secret weapon is its beauty: it boasts a cap that can reach a diameter of 20 centimeters, a deep red color with white spots. It looks like something out of a children's storybook, yet it is the poisonous mushroom par excellence.
• Evil porcini mushroomEven in this case, there's a risk of confusion with a very common mushroom species, widely used at the table. However, the evil porcini mushroom has specific characteristics: its cap is white on the surface and orange underneath, and it has a firm, reddish stem. We can recognize it and avoid it.
• Russula emetica. It's also known as the "red dove" due to the color of its cap, which measures between 8 and 10 centimeters in diameter. Its gills are elastic, dense, and white. It has an unpleasant, very spicy flavor.
• Amanita Verna. The cap, gills, and legs of this mushroom are white. Its extreme danger lies in the fact that it is indistinguishable from the common button mushroom. Absolutely edible. Except for one crucial detail: the gills of the button mushroom are not white, but pink, red, or purple.
• Lepiota cristataSmall, very poisonous mushroom.
• galerina marginataPoisonous mushroom with a mushroom-like appearance.

Safer (but still unrecognizable) edible mushrooms

The edible mushrooms that are generally considered the safest are:

• Boletus edulis, or the porcini mushroom
• Cantharellus cibarius, or the chanterelle
• Agaricus bisporus, or rather the mushroom.